


Disequilibrium

by bokubroya (liarielle)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Development, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, Hurt/Comfort, S2E5 Fight, Tokyo Training Camp, Training Camp, What-If, training camp arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24950623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liarielle/pseuds/bokubroya
Summary: “I received a call from Hinata’s father,” he begins, finally looking up at the rest of them. “For the time being, Hinata will not be returning to practice. His father didn’t provide many details, not yet at least. He did say that it’s not because of his injuries, Hinata has fully recovered. He also…” Takeda-sensei trails off then, his mouth pressing into a firm line.“Take-chan?” Tanaka is the first one brave enough to speak up. “What’s wrong?” Takeda-sensei takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders back, meeting their eyes.“He said that he can’t guarantee that Hinata will be coming back.”-----Or, what if, after Hinata and Kageyama fight, Hinata questions whether he should continue playing with Karasuno?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Aobajousai Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Hinata Shouyou's Father, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Oikawa Tooru, Ukai Keishin & Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 60
Kudos: 429
Collections: Haikyuu best fics vluv99





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY!!!! 
> 
> Welcome to my first fic for Haikyuu! I’ve been writing bnha only since like March, but I was rewatching parts of season 2 recently, and had the idea for this fic after watching The Fight. All four chapters are complete and ready to post, and I’m planning to post one each day until all four are up! 
> 
> I think some bits are probably OOC to some degree, because this is the first time I’m writing these characters, but it was fun, and the more I write them the closer I’m hoping to get to their canon voices. 
> 
> Edit: I can't believe I forgot to also mention that I've bent the timeline a bit to fit what I wanted to do in this story, by having summer break start I believe a week earlier than in canon. 
> 
> A note for this story: I’m keeping it Gen, but you are free to read it as pre-relationship between Kageyama and Hinata, or read it as platonic only. I think either interpretation works, since either way their relationship is close and important! 
> 
> Thanks to [Red](https://archiveofourown.org/users/12Redsky34/pseuds/12Redsky34) and [Chaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plusultrachaos/pseuds/plusultrachaos) for beta reading as always!
> 
> And thank you to anyone who gives this story a read, I appreciate it!

Shouyou is burning. His legs, his lungs, his eyes, all burning. The mountain he crosses each day and night is suddenly ten times taller than it should be. 

_“Your will is not needed for that quick.”_

_“Sorry Hinata. This time I’ve got to agree with Kageyama.”_

_“Yeah...I agree with Sugawara.”_

His vision blurs, and he knows it’s dangerous to keep going like this, this late at night, with tears making the path ahead fuzzy and undefined. He should stop. He should stop and compose himself. 

_“Despite what you think you want to accomplish, you need to chill out today.”_

_“Instead of practicing an attack we’re not sure you’ll ever be able to do, you should be working on the attacks we’ve been using, as well as serving and blocking!”_

_“But if this quick doesn’t work, there’s no point in me being on the court!”_

Why wouldn’t they _listen_? Why couldn’t they hear him, why won’t they understand? He needs to get stronger. Only the strong can stand on the court, and Shouyou wants to stand on it as long as possible. 

_“I want to be strong enough to compete by myself!”_

That wasn’t what he meant! He didn’t mean he could play alone, no one can play alone, that’s why he _needs them to listen!_

_“I don’t think it’s gonna work to try things out today, and I’m not gonna have you end up in a contact play like that again and get hurt.”_

_Kageyama is shaking him, pulling him to and fro._

_“Your selfishness is going to destroy the team’s balance!”_

_He hits the ground then, thrown down hard._

_“I’ll toss to anyone who’s essential to winning. And I don’t feel any different now.”_

Why? Why is he only essential to winning when he’s _weak_? When he’s tethered to the ground with clipped wings, flying only just high enough to pretend he can go as high as the rest of them, why is that all he’s permitted to be? 

_“I won’t let go until you give me a toss!”_

_“I’m not gonna have you end up in a contact play like that again and get hurt.”_

_He’s thrown down again, cast aside, Kageyama isn’t hearing him. Something hurts, he realizes distantly, more than it should._

“He was a partner,” Shouyou hisses, a whisper lost in the wind that whips against his face as he begins his descent. “He was supposed to be a partner.” He’s supposed to have Shouyou’s back. Shouyou always has his. Shouyou gave him blind trust. He wishes Kageyama would trust him in return. He can do this, he knows he can do this. Pain lances through his back, his ribs, as he leans to turn his bike. He should stop. If it hurts like this, something is wrong. 

The wheels of his bike screech, protesting the sudden pressure on the handlebars, the brakes. If it hurts like this, something is wrong. Volleyball has hurt before. When he was alone, when he resorted to begging for tosses. When he played his first and last junior high match. When Kageyama pulverized his team. When he thought he wouldn’t be able to join the Karasuno team because he couldn’t get along with Kageyama. When he served into the back of Kageyama’s head and he thought it was the end. When...when they lost. When they lost against Seijoh. The days following, when every single one of his mistakes forced their way behind his eyes. 

Volleyball has hurt before, but it’s never hurt like this. Something is wrong. 

“ _Your will is not needed for this quick.”_

_“I’m not going to set to a guy who I know will miss.”_

_“An attack we’re not sure you’ll ever be able to do.”_

_“Your will is not needed.”_

This is _wrong_. 

\-----

Something tensed and uneasy coils in the pit of Suga’s stomach, even as Daichi’s words should be bringing comfort. What he’s saying is true, of course. Kageyama and Hinata seem as though they must have entered the world together already fighting. And it’s true that those two have something, something that the rest of them can only hope to understand. It’s not unlike the connection Suga feels to Daichi, and he imagines it’s not unlike the connection between Asahi and Nishinoya either. 

The difference of course, is that their connections are bonds of trust formed over time, over years of playing together. It happens often, moments where Suga has to stop and remind himself that Hinata and Kageyama are not childhood friends, that they’ve known each other for all of two months. It adds an element of awe to the trust that Hinata has in Kageyama. It’s part of why that god-like quick is named as such. 

But something doesn’t feel entirely right this time. Suga can’t place it. It sprouted the moment Hinata chased after that ball and collided with Asahi. It took root when Hinata first declared that he would stop closing his eyes for the god-like quick. Those roots grew barbs and snagged at his heart when Kageyama turned Hinata down, when he himself admitted to agreeing with the setter, when their Coach gave his final word. Hinata was so...quiet. So still. So unlike himself. The roots squeezed tighter. And now, to hear that they were fighting, _really_ fighting...

Suga shakes his head firmly, dislodging the thoughts from his mind. He trusts Daichi on this. He trusted him with the first years when this started, and he’ll put his trust in him now. If Daichi believes that waiting and letting the pair sort this out on their own is best, then that’s what he’ll do. 

\-----

_“Are you giving the shrimp the exact tosses he wants? Have you even tried?”_

Tobio is trying to understand. He asked for Oikawa’s help for a reason. He’s aware of the friction between them, a rivalry that he’s only begun to actually recognize more recently. But this time, when he asked for help, Oikawa gave it. His words were not kind, but they weren’t unkind either. He meant every word he said, and Tobio can tell, he’s not being led astray on purpose. Oikawa gave him the truth, no sugar coating. 

Has he given Hinata the tosses he wants? Of course he has! He brings the ball to Hinata, right to his hand. He pinpoints it to the exact right spot for Hinata to spike. He doesn’t understand Hinata’s complete and utter trust in him, but he’s not so foolish as to ignore it. 

And Hinata, Hinata is happy with any toss. That’s what Oikawa doesn’t know, he hasn’t been there to learn that. Hinata will take any toss he can get, and Kageyama always gives him his best. 

If that’s true, why have Oikawa’s words shaken him so badly? 

_“If you can’t understand that, you’re just regressing back to playing the tyrant king.”_

_“Your selfishness is going to destroy the team’s balance!”_

Ah. Right. That’s why. Oikawa’s warning to him, and his own to Hinata. The crown that lies buried and locked away in a closet, abandoned to rust away, as it should. As it _must_. Tobio won’t don it again. He doesn’t want to imagine what it would be like to see this team reject him, to see the looks of disappointment, disgust, _distance_ , in their eyes. Well, he supposes he’s used to seeing that look on Tsukishima’s face. But no. Even then...in the match against Seijoh, when he tried, when he listened, Tsukishima’s face changed. 

And...oh. 

_“Are you giving the shrimp the exact tosses he wants? Have you even tried?”_

_“The one who has leadership in an attack isn’t you...it’s the little shrimp.”_

He does understand. How could he not? He asked, and Tsukishima told him. Consistent tosses, so Tsukishima could make his own decisions. Take leadership. Exert his will. But still…

_“Your will is not needed for that quick.”_

In hindsight, the words are cold. Perhaps even cruel. But they are nothing but the truth. Unlike Tsukishima, Hinata does not need to exert his will for their quirk to work. But if he could…

Tobio stops. His feet have been carrying him dutifully, even as he’s been lost in his head. Back in the direction of the school, to see if the inspections in the gym are complete. He’s stopped now, outside of Coach Ukai’s store. He looks through the glass, and meets the man’s eyes. 

Before he knows it, he’s inside, seated across from his Coach. It doesn’t take long to relay his conversation with Oikawa, even around his confusion and his shame. For his part, Coach Ukai remains thoughtful, a hand curled around his chin, cradling his jaw. 

“He’s right,” Coach says after some time. “It’s not something I’ve thought about before, not from that perspective. But he’s right. The exact tosses he wants…” Coach trails off, mouth curving down and fingers drumming on his cheek. “Bah. No use avoiding it. Have you got some time today?” Tobio tilts his head and nods his affirmative. Coach pushes himself up to stand and stretches with a groan. 

“Alright,” he says. “What about Hinata?” Tobio frowns and stands with his Coach. 

“He wasn’t in school today,” he says slowly, looking down to the side. It worried him, when he paused outside Hinata’s classroom and noticed the empty desk. At the time, their fight was a blur of adrenaline and panic until Tanaka cut things short with his fists. But Tobio remembers the heavy impact of Hinata hitting the ground. Because Tobio threw him there. Twice. They’re always rough with each other, but never like that. So Tobio…worries. 

“Sometimes it can’t be helped,” Coach lays a hand on his shoulder, speaking a bit stiffly. Awkwardly maybe. “Sometimes people just need time.” Tobio grunts and nods firmly. He can give Hinata that much. For now, he can focus on what’s ahead of him. He doesn’t know where Coach Ukai is taking him, but he hopes wherever it is will help him untangle these knots of confusion, to reach a solution. 

\-----

It’s very late when his father comes home, and Shouyou can hear how hard he tries to be quiet, to not disturb them, even as he peeks his head in to see them. On days like this, when their single father works late, he doesn’t get to see much of his children. He looks surprised to see Shouyou awake, but his eyes soften as he takes in his son’s state. He holds out a hand, beckoning Shouyou to him, and Shouyou’s mouth trembles as he pushes himself to his feet and walks over to take his hand and be led out of his room. 

They sit on the couch, shoulder to shoulder, and his father waits. He’s always been oh so patient, and oh so kind, especially with his children. Shouyou’s father often told him growing up that his mother was an even kinder person than him, but Shouyou has a hard time imagining that, imagining someone kinder than his father. The stretch of silence between them isn’t because Shouyou is scared to talk to his father. He just needs some time to find the words. 

“Is it okay if I miss tomorrow too?” Shouyou asks softly. His father hums, a thumb rubbing soothing circles on his shoulder.

“Again, Shouyou?” He frowns, an aura of worry enveloping them. “You’ll have to miss practice this time, are you sure?” Shouyou is nodding before his father even finishes his second question. That’s the main reason _why_ he wants to stay home. He doesn’t speak the words aloud, but his father seems to hear them all the same, his frown deepening. 

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?” He nudges Shouyou gently. “I know it must be difficult. Volleyball, this team, it means a lot to you. When something upsetting happens where we usually find our joy, it hurts more.” Tears spill over Shouyou’s cheeks and he turns to fall into his father’s arms, crying quietly into his chest. Those arms wrap gently around him, holding him close, and begin to rub his back. He tries not to, but he winces and stiffens up. His dad goes still, and then he carefully maneuvers Shouyou out of the embrace.

“Shouyou, what’s wrong with your back?” His brows are pinched inward, his hands light on Shouyou’s shoulders. Shoutou ducks his head down to avoid his father’s gaze and shrugs weakly. He doesn’t fight or protest as his shirt is tugged up and off. 

There’s a sharp intake of breath from his dad when he sees the splattered bruising on his side, where he collided with Asahi. It’s not so bad, but he knows it’s not the worst part. He was already checked over for that anyways, at the camp, and he knows his dad was made aware of the incident. The fight with Kageyama though... 

The dip in the couch next to him lifts, and Shouyou stays still as his dad moves behind him. This time, he sounds like something has punched the air from his lungs. Shouyou knows it’s not pretty. He’d stood in the bathroom, his back facing the mirror, using his phone camera to get a look at the damage. 

The bruising on his back is an angrier shape and color than on his ribs, and it’s mostly concentrated on his upper back, snaking onto his shoulders as well. The muscles there are tender and sore, and Shouyou had trouble all day getting comfortable around the pain. 

“Shouyou,” his father says firmly, but not unkindly. “I need to know what happened. This isn’t from your collision with your teammate.” He sits down again, keeping his eyes on Shouyou’s face, waiting. 

“There was a fight,” Shouyou finally whispers. “Kageyama and I got in a fight.” He sees his father’s hands curl and tense, but that’s the only sign he gets that his words are having an impact. His dad continues to wait quietly, letting him finish before he says anything. “It was, we had a disagreement at the camp, about our quick. A-And everyone...they’re taking his side, I don’t think they-I mean they don’t understand! But I thought I could show him maybe, so we practiced last night after we got back. We argued about it, and I said something that…” Shouyou sighs and shakes his head. He knows why his words upset Kageyama so much, when he said he wanted to be able to compete on his own. “He didn’t understand. And I couldn’t let it go. I got...knocked over a few times.” Only now does his father interject, lifting his chin to make sure Shouyou is looking into his eyes. 

“That kind of bruising doesn’t come from just being knocked over, Shouyou,” he says calmly, despite the way his hand shakes and the protective anger in his eyes. “Please tell me what happened.” So he does. He goes back to the camp, to what he wanted to do, and he tells his father everything, word for word as much as he can remember, what he was feeling, what he was thinking. The _wrongness_ that’s seeped in and refuses to budge, and his confusion over what it means, why he feels it. 

“Oh Shouyou,” his father sighs sadly, cupping his face. “I think, from what you’ve told me, that you might be feeling betrayed.” Shouyou nods. That much he’s been able to figure out. He wishes Kageyama would have heard him. He wishes Suga-san had taken his side. He wishes Coach had believed him when he told him what he could see when he jumps. “But I don’t think that’s what feels so wrong,” his dad continues. Shouyou blinks and leans forward. “I think, that if I were in your position, I would feel...limited. Perhaps even used.” Shouyou’s eyes blur with tears and he scrapes his palm over his cheeks as they fall. 

“What does that mean?” he whispers. His dad sighs and shifts them to let Shouyou lean against him, careful of his arm around his shoulders. 

“It sounds like you want to improve,” he says. “Get better so you can stand on equal footing with the rest of your team. It also sounds like you feel like you’re only of use on the team because of the quick you can do with Kageyama, not because of your own strengths. I don’t think that’s true, but that doesn’t change how you feel. And I think it’s the way things are being said that is bothering you.” Shouyou’s mouth presses into a deep frown. 

“My will isn’t needed for that quick,” he copies Kageyama’s words and his dad hums, nodding into his hair. 

“Yes, that,” he says distastefully. “Your teammates call that quick your weapon, but it doesn’t sound like it’s yours. I don’t think it should be _yours_ , I think it should be yours _and_ Kageyama’s.” 

“As partners,” Shouyou sniffles and whispers. He’s grateful, not for the first time, that when he first showed his intense interest in volleyball, his father spent hours learning everything he could about the sport. All so he could sometimes practice with his son, but at the very least so he could understand him when he rambled about it. 

“As partners,” his dad agrees. “Kageyama sets the toss you need, and you spike the quick the team needs. As it is, with your eyes closed, it may be your hand hitting the ball, but it’s not your attack. I think that’s why you may feel limited. And I think you may feel used, because your natural talent is only appreciated when it’s being used to do what someone else wants, used by someone else’s will. If you want to evolve that quick, it should be something you do together. As partners.” It’s really no surprise when Shouyou breaks down into tears again, this time crying louder with his relief that someone understands. His father holds him through it, letting him cry everything out. 

“If you want to stay home again tomorrow, I have no problem with that,” his dad says gently, brushing his hair away from his face. “I also think you should wait until the weekend to go back to practice, when summer break starts. I’ll try and set an appointment so we can get your back looked at before then, just to be safe. But it would be best if you let it heal some before you jumped back into practicing.” Shouyou is so tired. He knows the idea of missing so many days of practice should upset him, but he still only feels relief. He nods, blows his nose with the soon offered tissue, and wipes his cheeks. 

“The team…” 

“I’ll call tomorrow and speak to Takeda-sensei and your coach,” his dad soothes his concern. “I’ll ask them to make sure the others don’t bother you about missing practice. They should understand. Injuries shouldn’t be treated lightly.” 

“Can you make sure Kageyama doesn’t get in trouble?” 

“Shouyou…”

“I know you’re mad at him, and I am too,” Shouyou says insistently. “But we were both fighting. I was rough with him too.” His dad sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“Alright,” he finally agrees. “I’ll handle it.” Shouyou hugs his father tightly, expressing his gratitude for everything, not just this. His dad ushers him off to bed soon after, and Shouyou sinks into his futon, his mind heavy with the conversation between him and his dad. He feels better, knowing that someone understands him, but it doesn’t change that he still feels betrayed, limited, used. All of it. For the first time since school started, Shouyou is beginning to question whether he made the right choice in going to Karasuno. He really likes his teammates...well, most of them, and he likes the school. But the wall that stands in his way has suddenly grown that much taller, and the opposition no longer comes from the other side of the net only. It looms behind him now, at his sides, squeezing and pressing in on him. The only reason he can face the wall in front of him is because he’s not supposed to be facing it alone. He’s not sure what to do now, if that’s no longer true. 

\-----

Hinata misses school again, and practice, on Tuesday. He misses morning practice on Wednesday, and it’s only after they’ve finished and are having their meeting that Takeda-sensei announces why. For a brief moment, Asahi looks like he’s about to drown in guilt, until Coach clarifies that the injury Hinata is recovering from isn’t related to their collision. He makes brief eye contact with Tobio at that point, and Tobio knows. Hinata is missing practice for the rest of the week because of him. Because he couldn’t control his temper, couldn’t listen to the boy in front of him without letting his insecurities and preconceptions deafen him to his words. They’re told firmly, with no room for arguing, that they are not to bother Hinata about missing practice. Tobio stays behind to talk to his coach after the others have left. 

He doesn’t shy away from the scolding, though he thinks that Coach Ukai isn’t nearly as harsh as he should be. Tobio remembers what Coach said the other day, that these things take time, and sometimes people need space. He makes a promise, then and there, that until the weekend when Hinata returns to practice, he won’t bother him. If Hinata is okay with talking to Tobio, Tobio will let him initiate. Otherwise, he’ll leave the boy alone. It’s the least he can do after injuring him. 

In the meantime, he’ll continue to visit the elder Ukai. The man had helped Tobio and his coach realize that what they needed was a toss that stops. Hinata will need to learn the different tempos of quicks, like Tobio did, and practice handling the ball as much as possible, spiking tosses from all kinds of different setters. The thought makes a pit of jealousy curl in his stomach. Tobio likes being the one to bring out the best in Hinata, likes that nothing seems to come close to the quicks they pull off together. An irrational part of him worries that Hinata won’t want to hit his tosses anymore, if he learns how to hit just as well with other setters. He doesn’t understand where these thoughts come from. 

Still, he’s looking forward to Saturday. Hinata will return, and Tobio and Coach will take him to meet Ukai-san. Tobio will learn, and Hinata will learn, and they’ll improve together. Tobio doesn’t know how to apologize. He understands the concept of course, the words aren’t difficult. But simply saying ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t feel like enough. But doing this, learning a new toss, showing Hinata that he was right, giving him the tosses he wants and letting him take leadership in their attacks, that is enough. It has to be. 

But then...then Hinata isn’t there on Saturday. They wait, just in case. They all check their phones. Takeda-sensei hasn’t arrived yet, so maybe he’ll know something. Maybe Hinata just needs another day for his back to rest. Practice begins, and they’re all off their game. There’s an edge in the air that seems to pass from person to person like a static shock, affecting even Tsukishima. Coach Ukai halts practice when Takeda-sensei finally arrives. He isn’t smiling. Something like dread starts to fill Tobio’s veins, and he pushes his way forward, ahead of the others, as they walk over to the advisor. Takeda-sensei has his phone in his hand, and is staring down at it with an odd expression on his face. 

“I received a call from Hinata’s father,” he begins, finally looking up at the rest of them. “For the time being, Hinata will not be returning to practice. His father didn’t provide many details, not yet at least. He did say that it’s not because of his injuries, Hinata has fully recovered. He also…” Takeda-sensei trails off then, his mouth pressing into a firm line. 

“Take-chan?” Tanaka is the first one brave enough to speak up. “What’s wrong?” Takeda-sensei takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders back, meeting their eyes. 

“He said that he can’t guarantee that Hinata will be coming back.” 

Tobio doesn’t mean to do it. He knows it’s rude, it’s so, so rude. But he can’t hear this. He can’t accept this, he won’t. The door to the gym slams shut behind him as he flees. 

\-----

Shouyou can’t believe he’s doing this. It doesn’t feel real. His dad waits outside, like he asked him to. If things go well, Shouyou will text him and his dad will be free to go about his day. He has his phone in his hand, ready to do just that, because this has to work. 

After a few more deep breaths, he enters the familiar gym and stammers out a polite greeting, asking, more like begging, for them to excuse his intrusion. There are so many eyes on him now, and he’s somewhat relieved to see that there doesn’t seem to be much hostility in them. Confusion, more than anything else. 

It’s not long before the Captain and his right hand man jog over and stop in front of Shouyou, who stands up straight and tall and meets them head on, before he bows low. 

“What are you doing here?” the Captain asks incredulously. Shouyou straightens out of the bow and takes a shuddering breath, hands clenched at his sides with determination. 

“I want to transfer to Aoba Johsai,” he declares as confidently as he can, his words bringing a wave of silence and shock over the gym. “I-If...if you’ll have me.” Oikawa is the first to recover from his words, and Shouyou can’t even begin to decipher the emotions that seem to flicker over his face before he finally settles into a smile. It’s nothing like the smiles Shouyou has seen on his face before. He almost thinks it looks...sad. 

“Come on inside, chibi-chan,” Oikawa finally says. “And we can talk.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you’ll stick around for the remaining chapters! 
> 
> Random note: I typically use given names to mark the perspective that I’m writing in, but I honestly had to use Suga instead of Kōshi, because I just vibe with Suga.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY!!!! 
> 
> Welcome to the second chapter! Thank you so much for giving this fic a go, y’all have been very kind and lovely so far and I appreciate it. 
> 
> Thanks to [Red](https://archiveofourown.org/users/12Redsky34/pseuds/12Redsky34) and [Chaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plusultrachaos/pseuds/plusultrachaos) for beta reading as always!
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter! 

Tooru keeps an easy smile on his face as if he’s not leading a rival team member through the gym towards their club room. He can feel the wariness and confusion radiating off of his teammates, and he signals for Iwaizumi to join him as he ushers Hinata through the door into the club room, closing it behind the three of them. Hinata sinks into a chair, and Tooru graciously accepts the one that Iwaizumi kicks over for him with a wink in the boy’s direction. It gets him nothing more than a mildly agitated huff. He spins the chair around to sit with his arms propped on the back and his chin in his hand, giving Hinata a charming grin. 

“You know, chibi-chan, both of us have far too much to be doing on the first Saturday of summer break to be busying ourselves with a practical joke,” Tooru says. Does he actually think this is a joke? No. But it’ll be good to test the kid’s resolve. And it seems he has plenty, when he lifts his head and fixes Tooru with an intense stare. 

“This isn’t a joke,” he says firmly. Tooru hums and grins wider. 

“No,” he agrees. “I thought not.” To the side, Iwaizumi bristles. 

“You’re serious?” He crosses his arms and looks Hinata over. “What the hell happened?” 

“Ah,” Tooru hums. “Isn’t it obvious Iwa-chan? Chibi-chan decided to wise up and join a winning team.” Another test, to make sure that’s not actually the reason he’s here. He has a feeling this has everything to do with what Tobio told him about when they ran into each other on Monday. 

“That’s not it!” Hinata protests loudly, and at the same time, Iwaizumi swats Tooru upside the head. 

“Ow! So mean, Iwa-chan!” 

“Serves you right,” Iwaizumi scolds. Tooru wants to argue, but then he sees it too, the hint of tears building in Hinata’s eyes. Iwaizumi is warning him not to push any more buttons, and Tooru agrees. This isn’t a friend he’s teasing, or an opposing team that he’s trying to rile up. 

“Alright, alright,” Tooru raises his hands in mock surrender, and when he looks at Hinata again, he meets his eyes dead on, matching his intensity. It’s interesting, the way Hinata’s eyes pull him in. It’s familiar, like looking in a mirror. “What brought this on? If it wasn’t the inter-highs, then what was it?” Tooru sees no reason to tell Hinata that he already knows. Better that the boy give him an unbiased story, without knowing that he’s heard some of Kageyama’s side. 

And what a story it is. When Tobio asked his opinion on Hinata’s desire to hit their freak quick with his eyes open, Tooru hadn’t imagined that it had come out of _this_. He knew it must have been something big to push Tobio into begging for his help, but this…

Iwaizumi is a wall of sympathy as Hinata explains what happened, what his father helped him realize about his current standing on the Karasuno team. It’s a strange thing for Tooru to imagine. While Iwaizumi and his coaches have held him back from pushing himself too far for fear of him hurting himself, they’ve never held him back from genuine growth. 

That’s not to say that Tooru doesn’t understand where Tobio, Mr. Refreshing, and the messy coach were coming from. The timing really is a double edged sword. On the one hand, now is the time for teams to evolve, to break and become stronger. On the other hand, there’s not _enough_ time before the prelim games for the Spring Tournament. This change is a gamble, but what Tooru said to Tobio hasn’t changed. If Hinata wants to try and hit that quick with his eyes open, why not let him? 

Even more interesting to Tooru is Tobio’s revelation from their match, that it’s the setter who brings out 100% of the spikers’ strength, because it’s true. But Tobio is missing something vital in his realization; He cannot bring out 100% of Hinata’s strength if he caps him at 95%. Right now, Tobio has been drawing out 100% of Hinata’s current potential, that 95%. But he’s keeping him there, keeping him from increasing that potential to its full 100% and beyond. 

And Tooru thinks he knows where that’s coming from. It’s in the way that they think about that quick, the way he himself thinks about it. The freak quick, the weird quick, the god-like quick. Something special, and make no mistake, it is, but it’s still just a quick. As much of a genius as Tobio is, and as much natural ability that Hinata has, they are not gods. They are not even men. 

By seeing that quick as something supernatural, it has created an assumption that Tobio is the only one who can draw out Hinata’s full potential, and that is dangerous. That is how the sentiment that Hinata’s will is not needed came to be. Tobio is not the only one who can bring Hinata’s full potential to life, he is simply the one that Hinata trusts the most to _guide_ it. To guide his strengths into the open, for the spiker to use. 

That is what Tooru means, at the beginning of every game, when he tells his team that he believes in them. He believes in their strengths, their abilities, and he respects that they trust him enough to guide them. His belief is a promise that he will do his best to give each and every one of them the tosses they want, that they need. Tooru thinks he understands now what Tobio may be struggling with. He said it himself not very long ago. Tobio is learning to trust. It’s not all that surprising to learn that he isn’t able to respect Hinata’s trust yet, because he still fears it. Whether or not Hinata realizes this, Tooru isn’t sure. It is the root, the core of what Hinata is feeling, but it’s entirely possible that the words haven’t come to him yet. After all, they’ve only just occurred to Tooru as he listens to the story unfold. 

More importantly, though, it occurs to Tooru that Hinata may not stay. Oh, he says he’s made his decision, that he’s given it a lot of thought, talked it through with his father. He admits that it hurts to leave Karasuno, more than he can describe, but that this is the right move if he wants to get strong enough to be the next Little Giant. And that’s all well and good, but Tooru is more than familiar with decisions made on high emotions that he later regrets. 

“So, like I said, I want to transfer, if you’ll have me,” Hinata finishes, eyes cast down on his lap, hands curled tight over his knees. Tooru hangs his head with a tired sigh and hums. 

“That’s not just up to me, chibi-chan,” Tooru says after some time. Hinata’s head whips up, his eyes bright and eager. Ah, he seems to have noticed the lack of a direct ‘no’. “Coach will have the final say. I’ll go talk to him.” Tooru stands, and he doesn’t have to even say anything to Iwaizumi. The other boy replaces Tooru in the vacant seat, ready to stay behind with Hinata. 

Tooru can feel the eyes of his teammates on him as he walks over to the coaches and stands in front of them. 

“Well?” Coach Irihata asks, crossing his arms and looking at Tooru curiously. Tooru smiles and rests a hand on his hip, gesturing freely with his other hand. 

“The way I see it, there are three ways this can go,” Tooru says. “One, we kick chibi-chan out and tell him to run along home. Two, we let him stay, and before break is over he changes his mind and returns to the crows. Three, we let him stay, and he joins the team after break.” Tooru smiles and shrugs. “I’ll admit, I can’t guess which it will be if we let him stay. It all depends on him.” 

“You want to let him stay then,” Coach rubs his chin, thinking it over. Tooru shrugs again. 

“I see no harm in it,” he replies. 

“There’s harm if he doesn’t stay,” Coach warns. “Even if he’s only here over break…” 

“We’ll learn just as much about him as he learns about us,” Tooru counters. “And really, how much would he learn that they can’t otherwise figure out? They know our strengths and weaknesses already. We have no secrets to hold. There’s quite a bit I can learn by setting to him.” Coach laughs and shakes his head. 

“I won’t tell you no,” Coach says appeasingly. “I only wanted to make sure you’d thought this through.” Tooru laughs and waves a hand. 

“Of course I have!” He says as he walks back to the club room. He leaves the announcement to the rest of the team for the coaches to handle and goes to fetch Iwaizumi and Hinata. The pair stops talking when he opens the door, and somehow his smile must be enough for Hinata to know, because he jumps up from his seat with a triumphant cry. That jump is certainly something Tooru is looking forward to cultivating, especially if the shrimp decides to stay for real. 

“Come on, chibi-chan,” he waves him out of the room. “Quick tour, and then we can join practice.” Hinata runs ahead when Iwaizumi points out the locker room, and Tooru waits for his friend to walk at his side. 

“He calls you Great King,” Iwaizumi says irritably. 

“I know!” Tooru laughs delightedly. 

“I told him to stop,” his so-called friend continues. “He promised he would.” 

“Iwa-chan how could you!” 

\-----

It’s almost funny, how easily Hinata slots into their practice. He’s as eager to be there as the rest of them, and Tooru has to admit, he brings a certain energy with him. Tooru wonders, every now and then, if Hinata gushes that much flattery to catch people off guard, to make them underestimate him, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. His praise and excitement are genuine, and it’s not long before he has even Kunimi smiling. 

Tooru already has a running list in his head, of things they need to address in Hinata’s playing. Generally, he just needs more practice all around, especially with serving and receiving. His blocks aren’t bad, but they could be better. As for his spiking, Tooru experiments. He’s watched Karasuno closely, seen Hinata spike tosses from both Mr. Refreshing and Tobio, so he has some idea of what kind of toss is best for him, but each time he’s not quite content. He approaches Hinata during a break and drapes a towel over his fluffy hair. 

“I don’t think you and I will be able to pull off that weird quick,” Tooru admits. “I can’t pinpoint toss the same way Tobio can. But I have other tricks to make up for that. We should still be able to do a first tempo quick.” 

“A what?” Hinata tilts his head, diving after the towel that slides off of his hair. Tooru grins and bends forward. 

“First tempo,” he repeats. “That means it’ll be fast. Come on, I’ll show you what I mean.” Tooru drags a reluctant Iwa-chan with him, and together they demonstrate the different tempos. When Tooru asks Hinata what the difference was between them all, he’s delighted by the excited, and correct, answer he gives. 

“So you can do one of those?” Hinata asks, bouncing repeatedly in the air. “The fast one?” Tooru laughs. 

“Of course!” He swings his arms out. “I am the Great King after all.” He dodges the swipe to his head from Iwaizumi and even manages to dash away from the kick aimed at his shins. Iwaizumi grouches, but Tooru can hear the humor in it. Ha. Tooru is in the lead today. “Iwa-chan is right though, it’s not about what I can do, it’s about what _you_ can do. You’re the one who takes the lead, Chibi-chan. You run before my toss goes up, and I set to you. I follow your lead, and I make sure I give you a toss you can hit easily. _That’s_ the part we’ll need to get right.” Hinata stares at him, mouth agape, with big shining eyes. 

“What kind of toss?” He asks eagerly. Tooru rests a hand on his hip and the other on his chin. 

“Still working on that part,” he admits. “I need to see you practice more up close. Can you stay after practice today, for a little bit?” 

“Oikawa…” Iwaizumi warns. 

“Just a little while!” Tooru assures them both, though it seems reassurance isn’t needed for Hinata. His eyes have somehow gotten bigger and brighter along with his smile, and Tooru wonders how Tobio has survived this long with that pointed at him all the time. 

“Yes!” Hinata cries out. “Yes yes yes!” 

\-----

In the end, Oikawa-san helps Shouyou figure out that what he needs, first and foremost, is more experience. It’s obvious, but what he’s talking about is getting Shouyou more experienced with hitting different kinds of tosses, to get his confidence up. Shouyou hadn’t even realized how low it was to begin with. He’s always known his determination is his biggest strength, but Iwaizumi and Oikawa were pretty insistent when they told him that he needed to learn how to calm himself down and trust his abilities. 

They practiced for about an hour after the team left, with Iwaizumi supervising to make sure they didn’t go overboard. Oikawa tossed to him over and over, just like Kageyama, but it was so different. No two tosses were the same, and there were several where Shouyou had to find a way to save his spike when he missed. And then, suddenly, the toss changed. It was slightly different depending on where exactly Shouyou was spiking from, but there was something about it that felt consistent. Shouyou still missed some, not because the toss was off but because he kept getting distracted watching the ball. Oikawa points that out soon after. 

“You said you want to fight mid-air right?” He asks, tilting his head down at Shouyou. Shouyou catches his breath and nods firmly. He needs to be able to do that, he’s more sure of that now than he was even before. “Then instead of using your time in the jump to watch the ball, use it to plan your attack. If you can see as well as you say you can, use it to your advantage. My toss will always come right before you drop down.” Shouyou loudly exclaims his understanding and gets in position. This time, Iwaizumi steps onto the other side of the court and positions himself as a blocker. 

“Come jump here,” he says. “In a match, you’d try and go where there aren’t any blockers. But for now, jump here.” Shouyou nods and does as he says, darting forwards and jumping up at the same time Iwaizumi jumps up to block. It helps, having an actual blocker in front of him, because he sees where he needs to hit to get past him, he needs to hit up, against his fingertips. And right as he has that thought, the ball arrives and Shouyou slams his palm against it. It does exactly what he wanted, firing up and off of Iwaizumi’s fingers as Shouyou drops down from his jump. 

“That was AMAZING!” He cries out, running and jumping at Oikawa, beaming widely. “It was just like you said, I thought about where I wanted to hit and then the ball was there! How did you do that?” 

“Altered the aim of my toss,” Oikawa explains with a grin. “The best solution would be a toss that stops right where you need it and drops, but I don’t think I can control something like that, not right away at least. But I can add a little spin and aim it so it’ll start to drop in front of you. As long as I can see where you’re going, I can get it to you. Until I can figure out the other toss, this is what we’ll do.” 

“So cool, Oikawa-san!” Shouyou exclaims. “You’re amazing!” The Great King soaks up the praise, and Iwaizumi complains loudly and at length, and manages to get a swat in at Oikawa’s head, scolding him for his ego. 

\-----

As the days go by, Shouyou learns more and more from everyone on the team. Oikawa and Iwaizumi help him get better at recovering from missed spikes when they’re not helping him practice quicks, and Kunimi joins often to give advice on how to keep himself calm during a match. Eventually, Kindaichi joins in as well, showing Shouyou his preferred spike that goes over his opponents’ blocks. Matsukawa and Hanamaki work with him on his blocking and serving, the latter having the ability to jump serve. They don’t think he’s ready for that yet, and Shouyou agrees, but they have a lot of good advice for him to improve his basic serving. Yahaba and Watari spend a good amount of time helping him work on his receives. Watari especially seems envious of Shouyou’s natural reflexes, and urges him to use them to react more quickly for tough receives. 

Shouyou can feel how much he’s growing and improving. It’s like training weekend in Tokyo all over again, getting to learn from new people. And he likes this team, a lot! He likes the way they tease each other, the way Oikawa directs them all to use their strengths in different ways. He especially likes when they have three on three matches, and he and Oikawa are able to pull off the first tempo quick. It’s not always successful, either because Shouyou gets distracted by the ball, or because the blockers outsmart him, but more and more he’s getting better at fighting in the air. His instincts on how to hit past the blocks are growing, and he delights in using the feint that Hanamaki showed him. 

But he also...he misses Karasuno. More than once, he lands on his feet after a successful quick and when he turns, he expects to be celebrating with Kageyama. He succeeds as a decoy in a practice match, and he expects the spiker who actually hit the ball to be Tanaka-senpai. He manages to make a tough receive, and he waits to hear Nishinoya’s booming laughter and praise, and feels his stomach drop when it doesn’t come. He has a hard day of practice, where it seems like nothing is going right for him, and it’s only made worse when there are no encouraging words from Daichi and Suga. Iwaizumi is an _amazing_ ace, but the impact of his spikes isn’t exactly the same as Asahi’s. He even misses Tsukishima’s sharp quips, and Yamaguchi’s soft laughter, when he makes a mistake. He notices that none of the Aoba Johsai members seem to tease _him_ much. They tease each other with no problems, and they often encourage him to tease with them, but they don’t direct any of it at him. He thinks maybe they’re worried about scaring him off, because they’re afraid he’ll take it the wrong way. 

Shouyou doesn’t know what to do. He knew this would be hard. He knew he would miss his old team, but he didn’t realize just how much. And it just...it just makes him _angrier_ , that he could love them enough to miss them this much, and they could still dismiss him the way they did. There are dozens upon dozens of text messages waiting on his phone, missed phone calls and voicemails, all that he’s been avoiding because he’s too scared to see what they say. If he’s being honest, what he’s most scared of is seeing a message that asks him to come back, because at this point...he thinks he would do it. 

\-----

Tooru can tell they’ve reached the end. Hinata walks into the gym for practice on Wednesday, twelve days after he first showed up and declared his intention to transfer. There’s not much of summer break left, and if Tooru is being honest, he thought Hinata would stay. When they made it past day ten, he thought that was it. Actually, when they made it a full week and Hinata admitted that Karasuno would have left that morning to go to the second Tokyo training camp, Tooru thought that was it. If Hinata wasn’t back on the bus with them then, he thought for sure he would be staying. 

But Hinata walks in, and Tooru knows. It’s time for him to go home. He lets out a long, disappointed sigh before walking over to intercept Hinata before he gets to the locker room. 

“Hey Chibi-chan,” he says softly. “Hold up for a minute.” Hinata stops and looks down, his hair hiding his eyes, the grip on his bag tightening. He doesn’t say anything, so Tooru keeps talking. “I think you should go home,” he continues gently. “Go home, and use today to think. Think about what you really want, what you need. Okay?” Hinata’s frame trembles, but he nods sharply and turns to dart back out of the gym. 

Tooru watches him go, and tries not to think too hard about the toss he’s been practicing and trying to perfect in his free time. The one that will stop for a brief moment in the air, long enough for Hinata to fight his battle before swinging his weapon home. Iwaizumi sidles up alongside him after a moment and nudges him. 

“What was that about?” He asks. “What are you thinking?” 

“I think that Tobio is very lucky,” Tooru says after the gym door swings shut. “And I hope for his sake that he’s figured that out while chibi-chan was gone.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you’ll stick around for the remaining chapters! 
> 
> Next time, we’ll take a look at Karasuno’s side of their time apart :DDD
> 
> Another random note: I did a lot of rewatching episodes, like the inter-high match with Seijoh and others, to try and get a better feel for Oikawa since I would be writing him. The first time I watched the show I couldn’t really stand him that much but uh. Well now I like him so here we are with that 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY!!!! 
> 
> Welcome to the third chapter! We’re almost to the end now folks, and I really appreciate y’all sticking around to read each chapter, it’s been fun :DDD
> 
> Something I forgot to mention, which I’ve now added to the first chapter notes, is that I’ve bent the canon timeline a little for this fic by having summer break start I think a week earlier. Not a huge deal, but I realized I forgot to mention that. 
> 
> Thank you to [12Redsky34](https://archiveofourown.org/users/12Redsky34/pseuds/12Redsky34) and [plusultrachaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plusultrachaos/pseuds/plusultrachaos) as usual for beta reading for me! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter! 

Tobio isn’t actually sure where he’s running to until he reaches a bus stop, and then he understands where instinct is taking him; It is taking him where it always does, to Hinata. He realizes it now, his mistake. One of many. He was trying to give Hinata space, give him time, let Hinata come to him, and that was a mistake. He should have gone to Hinata on his own to apologize, before it reached this point, where Hinata…

_“He said he can’t guarantee that Hinata will be coming back.”_

Tobio doesn’t know what that _means_. Hinata wouldn’t just give up, not when there is still so much to do, so much higher for him to go. He’d declared it himself, that one day he would beat Tobio, and Hinata always means what he says. So he has to come back, it’s that simple. 

Tobio is restless on the bus. He almost wishes he had just kept running, even though he knows that thought is foolish. It takes Hinata thirty minutes by bike to get from his house to the school. Tobio doesn’t doubt his physical fitness, but he’s not interested in running over a mountain when there’s a faster way he can reach his destination and make things right. 

He does run the rest of the way from the bus stop to Hinata’s house though. He feels like he has to, like if he’s not fast enough, this chance will slip through his fingers. He’s glad that he knows the way, after a few days spent studying at Hinata’s house in preparation for the first Tokyo trip. As soon as the house is in sight, it calls to him like a beacon, sun bursting through the clouds. 

His breath is heavy and he knows he’s a bit of a mess, when he knocks and waits for Hinata. He does his best to get his breathing under control, and then the door opens, and it’s Hinata who answers, but not the one he was expecting. His father. Tobio hasn’t met him yet, he was at work the few times Tobio has been to the house, but he looks too much like his son to be anyone else. The man’s face seems to pinch in displeasure, if only for a moment, before his expression smooths out. 

“Hinata-san,” Tobio greets with a bow. “Is...I came to…” 

“To see Shouyou?” Hinata-san asks calmly. Tobio swallows and nods, doing his best to meet the man’s eyes, though it’s hard. It’s hard to meet his eyes when he knows he’s caused his son pain. “I’m sorry. He’s not home.” Tobio sucks in a sharp breath, against the twist of panic in his chest. 

“Do you know where he is?” Tobio grits out, the words dragging along his reluctant patience. 

“I do,” Hinata-san answers. “I don’t think you’ll like it, though. I imagine you won’t like much of what I’m about to say.” Tobio thinks that’s fair. He deserves to hear things he won’t like right now, after he said many things like that to Hinata. 

“Please,” he requests with a bow. Hinata-san sighs and hums, and Tobio straightens out of his bow, waiting respectfully. 

“Shouyou is...practicing with a different team during the summer break,” Hinata-san says. He holds up a hand to stop the outburst that threatens to spring from Tobio, and Tobio clamps his lips shut against it. “We spoke a lot, he and I. And he mentioned wanting to leave Karasuno for another school, a different team.” 

“He can’t!” Tobio cries out. He didn’t mean to but he couldn’t help it. He’s stepped forward now too, closer to Hinata-san, leaning forward, his hands shaking at his side. “It won’t, that’s not going to fix anything. Hinata needs, and we need-” Hinata-san holds his hands out. 

“Kageyama-kun, please let me finish,” he implores, trying to calm Tobio down. “As much as I am frustrated with you and what happened between you and my son, I agree with you. I don’t think another team is what Shouyou needs. But this isn’t my decision to make. It’s Shouyou’s. I’m not going to simply tell him no and send him back to Karasuno. My son deserves the chance to determine for himself what he needs and what he wants.” Tobio feels the fight drain out of him, arms limp at his sides. Hinata-san isn’t just talking about Hinata choosing which school he wants to go to. He’s talking about their fight, about Hinata’s right to choose how he plays. He’s right. 

“So he’s...where is he?” Tobio can think of a few places Hinata would go. Any of the formidable schools they’ve played thus far are possibilities really. Many of them would consider taking him. All would be lucky to have him. 

“I’m not comfortable sharing that,” Hinata-san says apologetically. “If Shouyou wants to tell any of you where he’s practicing, I’ll leave that up to him. He’ll make his decision about whether he’s transferring at the end of the break.” 

“He’ll miss the Tokyo training camp,” Tobio says. He’s not sure why that comes to mind first. 

“Yes, he will,” Hinata-san nods. “I know that is upsetting to hear. And I know that it is hard to understand, because it’s a unique opportunity, and something you feel you could never turn down. Believe me, Shouyou isn’t happy to miss it. He’s not happy about any of this.” Tobio’s eyes sting with tears. Hinata-san doesn’t sound accusatory, but that doesn’t change the meaning behind his words. Tobio bows his head and clenches his hands at his sides. 

“I’m sorry,” he chokes out in a harsh whisper. “I never meant for it to...this isn’t what I wanted.” 

“No,” Hinata-san agrees sadly. “I imagine it wasn’t. Mistakes are a part of life, Kageyama-kun. And to be fair, this isn’t your mistake alone. I don’t say this to get your hopes up. I have no intention of swaying my son either way. But I don’t think you should give up so easily.” Tobio’s cheeks flare red as he swiftly wipes away any tears that fall. 

“You think Hinata will come back?” He tries not to sound like he’s begging. He’s not sure he succeeds. 

“I think, instead of focusing on your mistakes, you should spend your time determining how you intend to fix them,” Hinata-san says evenly. Tobio takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. Focus on how he can fix his mistakes huh? He can do that. He’s a far cry from the King of the Court he used to be. If he can fix that, he can fix this. That was about fixing things for himself. But this? Fixing things for Hinata? Tobio knows he can do that. He opens his eyes and squares his shoulders, basking in his new found determination, and bows low to the man in front of him. 

“Thank you,” he says clearly. “I promise, I will make this right.” There’s relief in Hinata-san’s eyes when Tobio straightens and looks at him again. 

“You seem like a good kid, Kageyama-kun,” he says warmly. “And I’m glad you came.” Tobio flushes again and nods firmly. They say their goodbyes, and Tobio walks to the bus stop, no longer chased by the urgency to reach Hinata before it’s too late. No, this time he _does_ need to wait, to let Hinata make his decision. And if Hinata returns, Tobio will show him. He’ll make things right. 

\-----

Coach Ukai agrees with him, when Tobio relays the conversation between himself and Hinata-san. He also agrees with Tobio’s declaration that they shouldn’t tell the rest of the team, not yet. Not until...only _if_ Hinata doesn’t come back. Then they’ll tell them. Telling them now will only hurt them more. 

They decide to split Tobio’s time between practice with the team and practice with the older Ukai-san. Mornings spent practicing with the team, watching their progress, watching them hone down their own new moves. The synchronized attack. Nishinoya’s libero set. Asahi’s jump serves. Yamaguchi’s jump floater serves. All of it. Tobio often imagines how Hinata would react to some of it, how he would jump and yell and shower them all with praise. Strange, how before Tobio would scold him for getting distracted, yet now he desperately misses the scene and the sound. 

With Ukai-san, Tobio practices the new toss, working on his control and precision. Getting the right spin isn’t the problem, it’s the timing and the aim. Ukai-san urges him to visualize the spiker, to see their approach, their form, and toss as if it were real. Tobio doesn’t even have to put thought into it, to visualize Hinata, the way he darts across the court, the power that springs from in the wake of his jump, the way he spikes every ball as if it’s the last chance he’ll ever get. He sees no reason to imagine anyone else. His aim improves by leaps and bounds after that. 

Any time not spent working on the new toss is dedicated to learning how to toss to the array of spikers that join their practices. Elementary kids, Coach Ukai, his friends from the neighborhood team, mothers from a community league. His task is to learn how to create the perfect toss for each and every one of them. To not only ask what they want, but to discover what they _need_ , even if they themselves aren’t aware of it yet. It’s like Ukai-san said. Without a doubt, the best toss is one that the spiker can easily hit. 

\-----

It’s frightening, how off balance everything is without Hinata there. Even though they’re spread out between both gyms, all practicing their own new attacks, Suga can feel it. Something feels off, no matter how hard they try to work past it. Hinata has only been part of the team for a few months out of the three years he, Daichi, and Asahi have played together, but it’s enough. 

There’s also the fact that Kageyama has left with Coach Ukai halfway through the day since summer practices began. Suga isn’t sure where they go, but he can see bits and pieces of what they must be doing. A strange new toss that Kageyama practices on his own, with Yachi throwing the ball up for him. A new tension in his stance, a gleam in his eye, when he tosses to their teammates in scrimmages. Suga isn’t personally hitting his tosses, but he can see that something is different. 

Suga tries to keep his focus on the attack he’s meant to be honing, the synchronized move that Shinzen uses. Little by little, it’s coming along, but with each failed attempt, Suga remembers. He remembers that he chose to let this be. He took Kageyama’s side against Hinata. He chose to stay out of the fight between Kageyama and Hinata, to let them deal with it on their own. He should have gotten involved. What kind of senpai is he if he isn’t there for his juniors? 

\-----

The ball goes up. He runs forward, and jumps, and slams it across the net with all of his strength. It’s out, _again_. Asahi is the ace, but he doesn’t feel like one right now. He thinks of Hinata, of their collision, and his fear of Hinata’s growing greed, the fear of being passed. He thinks of how that has fueled him to do better, _be_ better, to hone his serve into a weapon, and hold his place as the ace. 

The ball hits the net this time. 

He thinks of Hinata’s desire, to hit the freak quick with his eyes open, to battle midair. No one knows what was said between Hinata and Kageyama when they fought, except for the two of them and Yachi. But Asahi wonders. He wonders if Hinata feels the same as him. If he worries about holding the team back, inconveniencing them with his mistakes. 

The ball is just barely in, slamming into the outer corner. 

If that’s how Hinata was feeling, if that’s what drove him away, Asahi can understand. He’s felt it too. It’s what drove him away, before…

Before Hinata and Kageyama did their best to drag him back, and the team supported him once more, until they helped him face the iron wall and break free. 

He serves out again. 

Asahi wonders. He wonders about what it means to be the ace. He wonders if it’s not just about being the one to rely on in the middle of a match. He thinks about Hinata’s enthusiasm, his unwavering determination, his endless desire to improve. He thinks about how Hinata’s actions have sparked them all into motion. _That_ should be the role of the ace. Where was Asahi when Hinata was struggling? 

\-----

To be a captain is to be a leader, and to lead is to make hard decisions, gambles that may or may not pay off. Daichi has made poor calls in a match before, and has sometimes fumbled to find the right words to lead his team. But this…

He knows Suga feels guilty. He can see it in his eyes, the sombre sound behind his sighs when their synchronized attacks fail, the way he tries to fill in the gaps of praise. And Daichi knows that Suga feels guilty, because he trusted Daichi. Because he followed his lead, his stupid cowardly decision to trust Hinata and Kageyama to work this out on their own, as if their struggles were theirs alone. 

Daichi thought...he thought it was best, because they know each other best. Despite only knowing each other for a few months, Hinata and Kageyama seem to understand each other as if it has always been that way. He’s not sure they even realize it, the way they fall into each other's orbit, the way one boy’s mood affects the other, the way they say and do the right thing to lift each other up without even thinking. 

The way Daichi saw it, that made them the best equipped to solve this. But now, of course, with hindsight, he knows better. It’s obvious too. It was the same between Asahi and Nishinoya. It hurt them more, it was harder to bounce back, _because_ of how well they knew each other, because of that feeling of betrayal. How could he have missed this? 

\-----

Toss after toss his feet hit the ground before they should, the ball flies astray, and Yuu’s frustration grows. It’s his job to keep the ball in the air so they can keep fighting. He looks at his teammates, and he sees them falling, and there is nothing he can do. He doesn’t know how to convince Shouyou to come back. He’s sent dozens of messages. Left a handful of voicemails. Showed up at his house a running total of five times. He’s pretty sure he might be running Hinata-san’s patience down, if such a thing is possible. 

This isn’t like when Asahi left. It doesn’t feel like Hinata gave up. It feels like they were the ones who gave up on him. There’s nothing Yuu can do to save a ball that’s already hit the ground. 

\-----

Tanaka-senpai. He asked them to call him Tanaka-senpai. Not just because he took pride in the title, not just because it made him feel empowered, to be a year older, to be someone a junior could call senpai. Ryuu wants to _be_ their senpai. To be there for them, to have their backs, to teach them the things he’s learned, like keeping rivals away from Shimizu or not to fight in front of girls or the Vice Principal, or how to keep their strength up when it seems like everyone and everything is dead set on beating you down. 

He wants to be what Daichi is to him. To be the kind of guy you go to when two of your teammates get into a fight, and other than stopping them by punching them, you don’t know what to do. To be the guy that has the answers, that inspires confidence, that holds a team together. 

Ryuu doesn’t know if he deserves the title anymore. At this point, he’ll just be happy to hear Hinata talking to him at all. He doesn’t care what he calls him. He just wants his kouhai to come back. 

\-----

Tomorrow is the last day of practice before they leave for the Tokyo training camp, and Hinata still hasn’t come back. Tadashi has been working on his serve all week, when he wasn’t practicing with the others. He’s been meeting Shimada almost every day after practice to work on it too, and he feels like he’s making some progress. That should make him happy. It should bring him a sense of pride. But it’s hard to feel it, when he looks around and sees just how much Hinata’s absence is hurting the others. 

He feels as helpless as he does in the middle of a match, when the rest of the team is _in it_ , and fighting, and doing everything in their power to stay alive, and he’s standing on the sidelines doing _nothing_. It’s the same as always, and he hates it. It’s been grating on him all week, leaving his nerves raw, and he’s not surprised that it’s Tsukki that finally makes him snap. 

Tadashi and Tsukki are the last ones in the gym packing up, and Tadashi sneaks a look at Tsukki, as he watches the rest of the team filing out. His face seems to flit between a number of expressions, before it settles on something that looks the tiniest bit...smug. Tadashi doesn’t mean to say it out loud, but there’s no taking the words back once they burst forth. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He snaps. Tsukki doesn’t look very impressed by this, though he does look a little surprised by the outburst. He simply stands to his full height and looks down at Tadashi with a raised brow. “Why do you look so...so _smug_? I know you don’t like Hinata, but-” 

“But nothing,” Tsukki says lazily, casually, like he’s not breaking at the seams like the rest of them. “This just proves what I’ve been saying all along. This is just a club. Hinata always made it more than it is. And it’s exactly as I thought. He let it matter too much, you all do, and now look at you.” Tsukki moves to step past him then. Tadashi clenches his fists at his sides and stares Tsukki down, pinning him with his gaze. 

“We miss him,” Tadashi says sharply. “We miss Hinata, because he’s a part of this team. Just like you, and just like me. It’s wrong, now that he’s gone.” 

“He’s not dead,” Tsukki frowns. “He’s just not playing with us anymore. He’s not _gone_ , he’s just not here. But because you’ve all...you’ve let this matter too much, you’ve put too much of yourselves into this. You’ve let it take over your lives.” Tsukki’s eyes burn and he stalks forward, but Tadashi stands firm, even as Tsukki crowds into him. “It’s just. A club. Hinata left because he’s obsessed with it, with being the best. Can’t you see now? How stupid that is, if it makes people feel like this?” Tsukki throws his hand out, gesturing to the court. “What point is there in trying to be the best? So what if you become the best in Miyagi, and then Japan? Then what? How far does it go? There will always be someone better, so why do you all put so much of yourselves into this, when all it does is hurt you? What’s the point?!” 

“What else do we need except pride?!” Tadashi shouts, grabbing Tsukki by his jacket and shoving him back until he hits the wall, shaking him. “Pride, satisfaction with our growth, a _connection_ as a team! Why does there have to be more than that? If all you’re taking away from this is...is that you were right, that all this can do is hurt us, if that’s all you care about with Hinata gone then...you’re lame, Tsukki.” 

Tsukki stares down at him, his glasses a bit askew from Tadashi jostling him, and there’s something in his eyes that Tadashi hasn’t seen before. And then he laughs, and Tadashi almost gets mad, but he can hear it. There’s surprise in his laugh, but pain too, and then Tsukki shakes his head. 

“When did you get so cool?” Tsukki asks softly. “How did I miss that?” Tadashi rears back in shock, eyes wide as he looks up at his friend. But then…

“When I decided I cared,” Tadashi whispers back. “When I decided this mattered to me, that all of them mattered to me.” Tsukki’s shoulders drop and he sighs heavily before he leans down to pick up his bag. 

“Come on,” he says quietly. “You’ll be late to Shimada’s if we don’t leave now.” Tadashi perks up and beams, and he only kind of means it when he apologizes after Tsukki tells him not to look at him like that. 

\-----

Practice is over, and tomorrow they leave for Tokyo. This time, it will be a full week of practice, of matches against teams that are stronger than them. If Kei had to guess, he’d wager that they’ll win two, maybe three matches. Or. Well. They would have, before Hinata left. Now he’s not so sure. 

He looks around at the rest of them, as Takeda-sensei gives them a run down of what time they need to arrive tomorrow morning, and what the week will look like. He thinks about everything they’ve all been doing since the week began, their struggles with forging their way through their new attacks without Hinata, without their sun. 

And now, now he hears the captain say something about how maybe they should back out. Their new attacks aren’t ready, and the team’s morale isn’t at its best, and maybe a week of losing match after match is the last thing they need. And something in Kei finally snaps. 

“We have to go,” he says, catching them all by surprise. Surprise that Kei would interrupt the captain, and surprise that he would care enough to push for them to go. “Otherwise Hinata will be insufferable when he gets back and sees that we fell apart without him.” 

Kei almost regrets the words when he’s suddenly swarmed by his teammates, smothered with disgustingly positive shouting. He doesn’t really get what the big deal is. He really does think Hinata will be impossible to deal with if they let this get to his ego, so why-

Ah. Of course. He’d said _when_ Hinata gets back, not if. Damn it. He glares half heartedly at Tadashi, who stands nearby with a wide, delighted grin on his face. 

“Shut up,” he mumbles, cheeks flaring red. 

“Sorry Tsukki!” 

Damn Hinata, damn him. Now he _has_ to come back, to prove Kei right. He won’t stand for anything less, even if he has to drag the boy back himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you’ll stick around for the final chapter! 
> 
> Up next, it’s reunion time baby! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY!!!! 
> 
> Welcome to the final chapter! I’m really excited to share this with y’all, and I’m also super grateful that y’all gave this fic a chance and stuck with it to the end. It’s been a great first experience writing for this fandom. 
> 
> Thank you to [12Redsky34](https://archiveofourown.org/users/12Redsky34/pseuds/12Redsky34) and [plusultrachaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plusultrachaos/pseuds/plusultrachaos) as usual for beta reading for me! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the final chapter! 

Shouyou knows it must scare his father half to death, when he walks through the door and immediately has his arms full of a crying teenager. Under normal circumstances, he might be embarrassed about this, but he can’t be bothered with that right now. Not when he’s busy realizing just how badly he messed up. 

“They’re going to hate me,” he sobs into his father’s chest. “I want to go back but they’re going to hate me, they won’t want me back, and I’ll have to go to Aoba Johsai instead, but it won’t be because I want to, I just want to go back and-” 

“Whoa hey, Shouyou, breathe, you need to breathe,” his father wraps his arms around him, hugging him close. “It’s okay, son, it’s okay. Come on, come here.” He tries to pry Shouyou off, but he clings tight and doesn’t let go, and he should be embarrassed about that too, but he doesn’t want to let go. So his father awkwardly shuffles them towards the couch, wobbling his way across the room with his son holding onto him. Shouyou is guided to sit, and he buries himself against his father’s side as soon as the man sits next to him. 

“I ju-ust can’t, I can’t believe I _did_ that!” Shouyou cries. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” That’s not true of course, he does know. He was thinking that no one was listening to him, that they were never going to listen to him, that he’d never get past that wall in his way if they weren’t going to help him. He was thinking that his fight with Kageyama was it, was the end. “I didn’t even give him a chance,” Shouyou chokes out through his tears. “I did exactly what he did, right back to him.” 

“Easy, it’s alright,” his father soothes, pushing his hair away from his face, combing out a few knots with his fingers. “That may be true, but it’s okay, Shouyou. You didn’t know if talking to him would work. And he hurt you. It’s normal to want to avoid things that hurt us, Shouyou. Why do you think I insisted that you do a trial run during break before you made a final decision?” Shouyou sniffles and tries to clear his head, blinking up at his dad. 

“You knew I’d change my mind?” Shouyou’s face scrunches up a bit, as he thinks about how predictable he is, how his father knew he just needed to throw his tantrum. 

“I thought it was a good possibility,” he confirms, and then he taps on Shouyou’s nose. “And that’s not a bad thing. It was my hope, that if you could try things out away from your team, you’d get a better idea of what it is you need, without any fighting.” 

“But I could have just _talked_ to them again!” Shouyou cries out. “I didn’t even try!” 

“That’s true,” his father hums. “But...that doesn’t mean that your choice was a bad one, Shouyou. Was it the more...let’s call it extreme. Was it the more extreme option? Yes, certainly. But it was still the right choice. Do you know what you want now, Shouyou?” Shouyou rubs at his eyes and nods decisively. 

“I want to go back to Karasuno,” he says firmly. “They’re my team.” 

“And what about Aoba Johsai?” 

“They’re...I like them,” Shouyou says, tipping his head back against the couch. “I liked playing with them. But they’re not my team.” 

“And now you know that for sure,” his dad says, smiling. “If you had tried talking things out, maybe it would have worked, maybe they would have listened. Now I think they have to.” His dad chuckles, and Shouyou buries his face in his hands, cheeks burning. 

“I did kind of make a scene,” he admits, and his dad laughs louder. 

“Just a bit,” he agrees. “But I mean it, Shouyou. It’s alright. Now you know.” 

Shouyou sighs and nods, snuggling into his dad’s side and resting his head on his shoulder. He wishes he could have figured this out a bit sooner, not so late in the week. It’s already Wednesday, or rather, it’s probably Thursday now, given the time. He’s missed so much of the Tokyo camp. 

“I wish I could’ve gone to the camp with them,” he says absently, wondering how their practice matches have been going, wondering how much they’ve changed in the time he’s been gone. 

“Go pack,” his father says, and Shouyou rears back to look at him with wide eyes, his breath stuttering in his chest. His dad is looking at his phone.

“Wh-What?” He gapes, excitement beginning to make him jittery. 

“Go pack what you need,” his dad repeats. “Try to hurry. It’s a long drive, and if we want to get you there in time to start the day, we need to get moving. We’ll need to drop Natsu off at your aunt’s. Go on.” Shouyou doesn’t waste any more time staring at his father like a fool. He darts off the couch and runs to his room, hands trembling as he packs his bag. He has to stop and slap his hands against his cheeks _twice_ , to calm himself down enough to make sure he actually has everything he needs. 

Natsu is fast asleep in his father’s arms when he comes back to the living room, and Shouyou helps his father get her into her seat in the car. When they drop her off at his aunt’s house, Shouyou stays ducked down in his seat, watching from a distance as his aunt no doubt scolds his father for waking her up so late at night. He apologizes when his dad gets back in the car, but he just waves Shouyou off and drives them away. 

“She can gripe all she wants, she’s excited to have Natsu all to herself tomorrow,” his dad grins. “I just owe her some early morning fishing, so really, it’s a win-win for me.” Shouyou laughs, a bright bubbly feeling following the sound up his chest. He’s so excited, he can’t stop _shaking_. He’s going to Tokyo, and he’s going to tell them all how sorry he is, and beg them to take him back, and if he’s lucky, everything is going to work out. 

\-----

It’s been five days of nothing but penalties, but somehow, Karasuno’s morale hasn’t wavered from the moment they arrived at the camp. 

Asahi’s jump serve has been out or hit the net more times than it’s been in. But he knows he’s going to get it down, and he’s going to prove that he’s the ace, on and off the court. He’s going to do his best to inspire the team, just like Hinata does. 

Yuu’s libero toss hasn’t worked just yet. He either jumps too far, or he gets the jump down but the toss isn’t quite right. But it’s _close_ , it’s so close, and once it slots into place he’ll have one more trick up his sleeve to keep the ball in the air, to keep them alive. And this time, he won’t let them down so easily. 

The synchronized attack is the closest to being complete. Each time it fails, Daichi, Suga, and Ryuu meet each other’s eyes and they _know_. They must get this right. They must lead the way. They owe that much to the others. No more sitting back, no more waiting. 

Tadashi will be a bystander no longer. His jump floater serves are improving with each passing day, and he has a new goal now. The serve and block. If he can’t always get a service ace, then he’s going to get the next best thing. 

Kei, Kei has something now. A new mindset to try out, better than what he had before. He’s not sure he’s there yet. If he’s able to make this matter to him like Tadashi, if he thinks he’ll have his moment like Bokuto. But he can seek it out. It was quite satisfying to see Bokuto run away from his block with that feint. He thinks he’d like something like that again. 

As for Tobio, well. He’s _restless_. He’s tired of visualizing Hinata when he practices his toss. It doesn’t matter how good his imagination is, it will never live up to the real thing. And he’s taken Hinata-san’s words to heart. Every minute not dedicating to practice, Tobio has thought about how he’s going to fix this. How he’s going to apologize and _mean it_. How he’s going to be better. This toss is just the first step. He wants to take Hinata to meet Ukai Ikkei, the man who once coached the Little Giant. He wants to find out how they can hone their skills as a duo, as partners, _together_. 

\-----

Thursday morning, as they’re warming up in the gym to get ready for their first practice match of the day, Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei suddenly duck out, telling Daichi to keep them going. Tobio watches them leave the gym with a frown, wondering what’s going on. It occurs to him that maybe there’s news about Hinata. Maybe his father called, and they’re going to speak with him. Tobio tries to concentrate on warming up, on his tosses, but he knows he’s not the only one distracted, thinking the same thing. 

And then Takeda-sensei walks back into the gym, and he’s _beaming_ , and Tobio doesn’t even think, he just moves. This is becoming something of a habit where Hinata is involved, and he thinks that perhaps it should worry him, but he’ll let that happen later. For now, all Tobio is thinking is that there’s only one reason Takeda-sensei would be smiling that much, and he doesn’t even realize that the team is following him as he runs across the gym and through the doors, and there…

There’s Hinata. He’s standing with Coach Ukai, bowing and apologizing repeatedly, waving his hands around, and he’s loud and annoying as always and Tobio missed him. He missed him so damn much. And then Hinata sees them, and promptly bursts into tears. Tobio thinks he might be crying because he missed them too, but then he notices that Hinata is _shaking_. 

“I’m sorry,” he’s barely getting the words out around his crying. “I’m really, _really_ sorry, I shouldn’t have left, I wasn’t thinking straight. And I just want to come back, please let me come back, I’ll do whatever I have to do, I’ll give up my spot as a regular if I have to, I just want to…” He gets harder to understand after that, and Tobio isn’t sure whether it’s the shock of seeing him again, panic at hearing him say he’ll give up his spot as a regular, or just because Hinata can’t speak properly anymore. Coach Ukai and Hinata-san both reach for Hinata at the same time, worry sculpting their features. Tobio is faster. 

He marches towards Hinata, and Hinata’s face scrunches up, his eyes squeezing shut, probably expecting Tobio to yell, but instead he lets his knees touch down and bends forward, until his head hovers just over the ground. It’s enough to startle Hinata, to throw him off and shock him into halting his crying. Tobio doesn’t have to look behind him to know that others on the team are also bowing, though he has a feeling he’s the only one who’s kneeling. 

“I’m sorry,” Tobio says, loudly, clearly, with all of himself behind the words. He doesn’t think he’s ever said something and meant it so much. “I’m sorry, Hinata.” Tobio lifts his head and looks up at him, at his pale, shocked face, his trembling frame. “I wasn’t listening. I wasn’t hearing you. You tried to tell me, and I didn’t listen. I understand now, what you wanted. What you needed. You had every right to ask what you did, and I had no right to refuse you.” 

“Kageyama…” Hinata whispers, eyes wide and slow tears spilling over his cheeks. 

“I broke a promise to you,” Tobio continues, and he’s not surprised when Hinata looks confused. “I told you, after we lost to Seijoh, that I wouldn’t throw any more tosses that I have to apologize for. When I tossed to you, after you first told me what you wanted, I broke that promise. Every toss after that was a broken promise, because I must apologize for all of them. I didn’t give you the tosses that you wanted, and I have no excuse for that. You don’t need to ask us to let you play again, Hinata. We, _I_ , must ask you: will you still accept me as your partner, after what I’ve done?” 

Tobio has a hard time parsing the movement that leads to Hinata collapsing in front of him and wrapping his arms around him. Really, all he saw was a blur of orange, and then he was pulled out of his bow, and now Hinata is wrapped around him, and Tobio doesn’t really know what to do. So he slowly curls his arms around the boy in return, and when he realizes how right it feels, clings fiercely, his hands bunching in the fabric of Hinata’s shirt as he buries his face in Hinata’s shoulder. 

Tobio’s awareness of other teammates kneeling next to them and offering comfort to Hinata comes slowly. He sees Suga first, gently wiping Hinata’s tears away with a tissue, and then Daichi, rubbing his back and offering kind, reassuring words. Tanaka, ruffling his fluffy hair, and Asahi holding one of Hinata’s hands in both of his. The rest of the team gathers around them, staying close. Tobio isn’t ready to let go of Hinata yet, but that’s alright, because Hinata doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to let him go either. 

“See,” Tsukishima drawls after a few minutes, waving a hand at them. “I told you he’d come back.” Tobio is content to admit that the sound of Hinata giggling by his ear is one of the best in the world, and it seems to be infectious, the whole team following suit, even if Tobio and Tsukishima just smile instead of laughing. 

\-----

Shouyou feels _right_. He doesn’t think volleyball has ever felt this right. They’re late to start the first practice match of the day, and Hinata apologizes profusely to the team they kept waiting, but no one seems willing to accept it. They’re all too happy to see him, and eventually all of the coaches just agree to wait to start the rest of the matches so everyone can swarm him. Shouyou loses track of how many hugs, hair ruffles, and fist bumps he gets, and that’s not even counting the way Bokuto-san shakes him vigorously and demands that he never leave them again. Or when Kenma corners Shouyou and lectures him at length, surprising everyone on the Nekoma team except Kuroo, who watches with a smug grin. 

When they finally start playing, Shouyou can feel it instantly, the way the team has changed, and he can tell they feel it from him too. He still needs to tell them where he was, though he thinks...no. He _knows_ that Kageyama already knows, or at least he has a guess. It comes after Hinata misses the second toss Kageyama throws for him, the one that stops, just like Oikawa-san said. Hinata doesn’t let the toss fall. Instead he recovers midair and bumps it over the net with his left wrist. Something about the way Kageyama looks at him after that tells him that he _knows_. 

Shouyou puts his all into the practice matches and the extra practices he joins at the end of each day, and he can feel it. He can feel how much he’s improved each time his receives are a bit cleaner than before, each time his serves actually go where he wants them too even if they’re not powerful yet, each time his blocking works, each time he’s able to spike the ball even if it isn’t Kageyama setting to him. He learns a few extra tricks from those practices outside of the matches, and he knows he’s not the only one. He’s delightfully surprised to see even Tsukishima doing extra practice, and he picks up on some of the new blocking techniques he’s using, recognizing them as ones he learned from Aoba Johsai. 

He and Kageyama haven’t managed their first tempo quick yet, and Shouyou knows that Kageyama is starting to feel just as restless as he is. He knows, realistically, that they weren’t away from each other for _that_ long, but it still feels like it’s been way too long since they’ve pulled off their attack. Sure, it’s satisfying to hit other quicks and see them succeed, but it’s not the same. 

So as they start the last match of the camp against Fukurōdani, Shouyou decides. His eyes find Kageyama’s, and he doesn’t look away. Neither of them do. Shouyou looks at him, and he decides. _We’re going to get it this time_ , they both think, and then they nod. The rest of the team have a pretty good idea of what that exchange means, and a ripple of determined, excited energy passes through them. Off to the side, Shouyou sees Coach Ukai grin. 

Not long into the match, Shouyou uses what he learned from Hanamaki and performs a feint instead of a spike, shocking not only the opposing team but his own. The move seems to confirm whatever suspicions Kageyama had about where Shouyou was. He pauses by Shouyou’s side, speaking quietly enough that no one else can hear them. 

“Hanamaki?” He asks, and Shouyou nods once. He’s not sure how Kageyama will react now that he knows for sure, knows that Shouyou almost left Karasuno for Aoba Johsai. Almost left him for Oikawa. He’s surprised when Kageyama _grins_. “Whatever tricks they taught you, don’t be afraid to use them. _Especially_ against them.” That startles a laugh out of Shouyou, and steels his determination. It’s a relief, knowing that Kageyama isn’t mad. 

As they keep playing, Shouyou’s restlessness grows, a constant buzzing under his skin, but he’s also somehow calm. He can tell Kageyama is the same. There’s something different about him today, about them both, how they’re playing. Kageyama pulls off a dump, and his movements are even smoother than Oikawa-san’s. As they ready themselves after the next rotation, and Tsukishima gets ready to serve, Shouyou can feel it. A tug, a pull, between him and Kageyama. They close ranks to block, and the spiker feints over top of them, but Shouyou feels calm. He knows the ball isn’t going to fall, and it doesn’t. Daichi saves it, and Kageyama tosses to him, and Shouyou is satisfied with his spike, but not satisfied enough. It doesn’t land, and the ball returns to their side of the court. 

Asahi receives the ball, and it’s still up in the air when Shouyou takes off. He can see it in Kageyama’s eyes, the flash of surprise, the hesitation, even as Shouyou jumps. And for a moment, he thinks Kageyama has made his choice not to do it. _Please,_ Shouyou thinks. _It’s time for us to be partners again_. 

And just like that, the ball comes right to him. Shouyou can see it without looking, can feel its approach, and the path forward clears. There are no obstacles in his way, not anymore. The ball is coming...and it stops. 

Shouyou feels everything, all of the fear and doubt and confusion he’s held onto since their fight, he feels all of it slam the ball down with no room for hesitation or second guesses. No one even has a chance to see it coming, to stop it. Heavy silence cloaks the gym until Shouyou and Kageyama turn to each other, and scream wordlessly, triumphantly. Shouyou holds his arm out with his hand up, and Kageyama slams his palm against Shouyou’s, their hands clasping tight together. 

_Together,_ Shouyou thinks. _Together, we’re invincible._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Once again, thank you for indulging me and giving this fic a go, I hope you enjoyed it! 


End file.
